No abstract

The technology used in process automation is actually evolving towards distributed control systems, both as physical and functional characteristics and structures. In this field, the acronym DCS (Distributed Control System) represents a philosophy of system, which consist in a hardware base and a set of software services. Together permits the development of applications of distributed control. In this paper, we present a prototype oriented to distributed process control with a set of special characteristics well delimited: low computational load, low requirements of bit rate, medium reliability and very low cost. The last item forced a system based in general purpose microcontrollers, which can support the communications system and the specific application load. In a larger series of production of these systems, the software is the element that helps more to decrease the cost of the system. This has been the reason to design a DCS in which every possible function has been developed by software. Finally, an analysis has been done in order to know the real limitations.

The use of the DuaJ Voltage System 14V/42V in the electric systems of cars brings many advantages, but it also pOSl'S new chaUenges like a bigger short circuits (SC) casuistic. The Fussing Management System (FMS) 15 Telponsible for man aging the 14V-gnd, 42V-gnd and 14V-42V short circuits, with the objective of eliminating them as soon as poss ible, reducing in this way the harmful effects for the wires, batteries and electrical loads. In this paper we show an implementation of the FMS with the communication protocol RDbus. We disc:uss the basic Ideal! used in the FMS, its main benefits and the nperimental results obtained with 14 V -42V short cirwits.